Saudis face delicate balancing act at OPEC meeting

Saudi leaders face pressure from the United States to raise crude oil production. Photo by photostock77/Shutterstock Sept. 21 (UPI) — Saudi Arabian leaders find themselves in a tough spot going into meetings with OPEC, Russia and other top oil producers in Algiers this weekend. The Saudis, who lead the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, face pressure from President Donald Trump to increase production to stabilize crude oil prices. But the Saudis must also appease their fellow OPEC countries , who could threaten their leadership within the oil cartel. OPEC and Russia were unified in their efforts to reduce production the past two years to push prices up. The alliance with Russia is critical for the Saudis and they want to make it a permanent institution. Trump has called on the Saudis to ramp up oil production to compensate for the looming sanctions against Iran. But that wouldn’t go […]